


Until the End of the World

by ntmnky



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 22:50:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6213316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ntmnky/pseuds/ntmnky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Thanksgiving approaches, Beast Boy asks Raven out. But will it all go as he hopes? BBRaven</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Giving of Thanks

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place sometime after the events in my story Getting to Know Her. I strongly suggest you read that first.

It has been an amazing spring and summer. Raven and I have been going to that meditation group regularly, often stopping for a beverage and chat afterwards. The Titans had survived Raven’s grumblings about her birthday. We managed to survive Slade’s delivery of the prophecy that Raven had been stuck with since birth. And we managed to survive the end of the world. And now Jump City is slipping into a peaceful autumn. Well, sorta.

I wasn’t certain that we would survive Starfire’s version of Thanksgiving.

Starfire has always been big on celebrations. Seems to me like Tamaran is just one big party after another, the way she goes one with all her puddings and celebrations and hullabaloos. Recently she has been trying to partake in more of Earth’s holidays, and had been amazed at how many we could celebrate, but don’t. It had taken Robin quite some time trying to explain to her all the religions and differences in holidays and why some were celebrated while others weren’t and by whom.

I had spent a good long while snickering over the hole that Robin had dug himself when it came to explaining Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa to Starfire.

Today though, it seemed as if Robin was going to have his revenge. Starfire had wandered into the common room carrying several boxes and had started whistling to herself as she flew around, stringing up orange and brown streamers.

“Dude!” Cyborg cried out when I hit pause on our game of Outrageous ATV Racing. “Can’t you deal with the fact that I am beating you?!”

I ignored Cyborg’s protests and asked Starfire, “Um, Starfire? What are you doing?”

“Friend Beast Boy! Is it not most glorious?” the tawny haired alien began. “Friend Robin has decided that I should do the planning of the Giving of Thanks this year!”

I scratched the back of my head while I translated her broken English. “You mean Thanksgiving?”

Star giggled softly as she replied, “Yes. Thanksgiving. Today I am going to decorate the Tower and tomorrow I shall do the shopping for our feast.”

Cyborg and I slowly turned and looked at each other in horror.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Star?” Cyborg began, as we turned back to Starfire.

“Have you talked to Robin about all of this?” I continued.

“And who’s going to do the cooking?” we finished in unison.

Starfire looked at us a moment longer before she turned back to hanging her paper streamers. “We will all be cooking different things. Robin has told me that part of the Thanksgiving is the gathering of family in the kitchen. And you are my family here on Earth.” Before Cyborg or I could ask, she continued, “We will be having the turkey and ham, the dressing and sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.” She paused to inhale, “And friend Robin has suggested a most wonderful thing called a Tofurkey ™ for you, Beast Boy!”

“Aw man!” Cyborg grumbled, quietly enough that Starfire couldn’t hear. “They even managed to get tofu into the holidays!”

* * *

I walked quietly down the halls of Titan’s Tower towards Raven’s room. It was Tuesday, and we have a standing agreement to meet and go together to the meditation group at the Jump City YMCA. In the months that we have done this, I have gone from a sense of foreboding to a quiet anticipation.

I smiled wryly as I round the corner of the hall. A few short months ago I would have told anyone who suggested I would be meditating with Raven that they were crazy. I mean, I had always wanted her to do more things with me, but I never imagined that we would be going to a meditation group together. Now, our Tuesday and Thursday trips to the meditation group were the highlights of my week.

As much as I enjoyed it, it still hadn’t made the feeling that there was something different about the halls outside Raven’s room go away. But it was becoming a familiar difference. I still think it’s creepy here though. The lights still seem dim, and her door still doesn’t sound like steel when I knock on it. I raised my hand to knock on Raven’s door and stopped myself just in time when it opened, Raven’s face where my hand would have struck the door. “Oh! Um, hey, Raven. You want to go?” I asked nervously.

When she smiled slightly I felt something in my chest do small somersaults. “When haven’t I gone since you first asked me?” she asked.

I found myself scratching the back of my head as I answered, “Um… You always have.”

She slipped out of her room, and we walked together in silence to the roof. There, I transformed into a small, green starling and we flew into the city.

* * *

After our meditation group was over, Raven and I found ourselves walking the streets of Jump City. It has become a habit that after the meditation group we would go for tea and a soda, and talk. Most often, Tuesdays found us going to Camille’s, that cheery coffee shop that had old fashioned bottles of soda and real tea while Thursday’s found us at one of Raven’s darker haunts. And today was no exception.

As we walked in silence together, our feet leading us to Camille’s, I reflected on how our friendship has grown. I have come to treasure my post-meditation chats with Raven. And in fact, I have been thinking a lot about what it would be like to date her.

‘Raven really is my best friend,’ I thought. ‘We’ve come a long way since I tried meditating and asked her to come.’ I grinned as we slipped into Camille’s and headed towards our customary table in the corner. ‘But I’ve changed at least as much as she has. I still tease her and tell her jokes to try and get her to open up, but… I also respect her space and who she is more.’

Seeing us arrive, Susie – the server from our first visit – went to get Raven her tea, and a random soda for me. She had learned early on that Raven always had the same variety of tea, while I liked any of the vintage varieties of soda they had.

I pulled the chair out for Raven, and then slipped around the corner of the table to seat myself. Just as I settled in, Susie brought out Raven’s tea and a Dad’s Root Beer™ for me.

“Thank you,” Raven said to Susie as she set out the teapot, tin of leaves and cup.

“You’re welcome, dear” she replied, eliciting the usual small frown from Raven for calling her “dear”. Which Susie ignored as she always did. “Do you two have plans for Thanksgiving yet?” she asked as she set down my soda.

Suddenly remembering the conversation I had with Cyborg and Starfire this morning I let out a small groan. “Yea,” I said, “one of our friends is making us all dinner.”

“So why the groan?” Susie asked. “That sounds wonderful!”

“Well,” I said, “it would be, but the girl doing the cooking isn’t the best cook… Her heart is in the right place though.”

As I spoke, Raven visibly paled. “You mean Starfire is cooking?” she asked.

I nodded and Susie just smiled at us. “Remember, Thanksgiving is about the good things you have. Not about the quality of the cook.” With that she slipped off, knowing Raven and I would likely talk for an hour or two before we left.

* * *

As we walked back to the Tower in silence I was mulling over a thought I so often had now. ‘Why shouldn’t I ask Raven out? I like her. She’s free from Trigon’s influence. She has more control over her powers than ever. And – to be perfectly honest – she’s darned cute.’

Passing through the Tower towards her door, I made a decision I had toyed with for far too long. Peering around to make sure that we are alone in the hallway, I stopped in front of her door rather than continuing to my room as I usually did.

As her door opened, I spoke. “Raven, um…” I asked, finding my courage suddenly failing me.

“Yes, Beast Boy?” she asked, turning to face me.

“Well, um…” I scratched the back of my head and I felt blood running to my cheeks. ‘Great, I’m blushing. Not smooth.’

Raven looked at me, and I got the distinct feeling that her eyes were looking through me to my soul. “What is it?”

I closed my eyes and forced myself to ask, the words running into one another as I tried to get the question out. “Raven, do you want to go outwithmetoamovie?” I inhaled deeply after the question is asked, afraid that she will decline rather than simply killing me on the spot.

She raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows and asked, “Do you mean as friends? Or as a date?”

‘I can back out of this. Nothing bad will happen. Just say that I wanted to see it with a friend,’ I though to myself. My mouth had other plans. “As a date,” I found myself saying.

She blinked slowly before the barest hint of a smile formed on her face. “I think I would like that,” Raven replied.

Now it was my turn to be amazed. Even though we’d become much closer in the last few months, I never thought that she’d say yes. Happy, I leaned forward and gave her brief hug, aware of how protective she still was of her space. “Why don’t you pick the time and movie,” I said, knowing that I would enjoy whatever she picked, just for being with her.

“Okay. Let me see what’s playing and I will tell you tonight. I will talk to you a little later on, Beast Boy,” she said before slipping quietly into her room and closing the door.

I skipped to my room, so happy I could burst.


	2. Short Attention Span

‘What have I gotten myself into,’ I asked myself again as I looked at the paper. I was in my room, trying to find a movie I would like and Beast Boy wouldn’t sleep through, or worse – talk through.

Beast Boy and I have grown closer than I thought possible over the last several months. He could still be an immature green pain in my neck at times, but I could no longer deny that he has become my closest friend on the team. The meditation Beast Boy has been doing seems to have done him some good. He’s matured some without losing the fun-loving attitude I first liked him for.

It would be a lie to say that Beast Boy was merely an annoying, obnoxious, immature brat. At first I that was all I saw, but I now know that he uses humor to ease the emotional pain he and others feel. I think that may be why he spent so much time trying to get me to smile. I was seldom really in pain, but it was also true that I seldom felt any of my own feelings.

He has always been there for me, even when the others weren’t quite sure what to do. ‘After Malchior…’ I shuddered as I thought that name. But it was Beast Boy who had been there to see if I would be okay. It was Beast Boy who refused to let me just slip back into my shell of isolation.

“Why did I ever agree to go on a date with him?” I muttered to myself, closing the newspaper in frustration. “This is just going to end badly.”

‘I don’t want it to, though,’ I thought. Over the last several months it has become increasingly difficult for me to deny the feelings I have for Beast Boy. And since the defeat of my father, I had begun to dare to hope that I could have some of the joy that Robin and Starfire seem to have. And why not him?

‘This is hopeless,’ I thought. ‘Maybe Cyborg or Starfire can help me pick a film.’

With that thought fresh in my head, I slipped the paper under my cloak, and stepped out of my room into the uncomfortably bright hallway, looking for one of my friends.

* * *

I was standing in the hallway outside Starfire’s room. She was not my first choice to ask about my upcoming date with Beast Boy, but Cyborg was out of the Tower. He’d left a note saying that he was “Shopping for the perfect Turkey” for our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. And while Cyborg knew Beast Boy at least as well as I did, Starfire knew far more about dating than I.

Nervously, I raised my hand to knock on Starfire’s door. After four of the annoyingly metallic “PTing’s” most of the Tower doors make, I lowered my hand and waited. Before long, the door slid to the side and I was greeted by Starfire’s smiling countenance.

“Friend Raven! What brings you to my room?” Starfire greeted me.

‘May as well bite the bullet,’ I thought. “Um, Starfire? Can I come in?” I asked. I lowered my voice and continued in a conspiratorial whisper, “I need to ‘have the girl talk’ with you.”

“Glorious!” Starfire beamed as she grabbed my by the arm and hauled me roughly into her room, once again forgetting her own strength. “Friend Raven, why do we need to have the girl talk?” As the door slid closed behind me, Starfire pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

“Starfire,” I choked out. “You’re touching me.” Even though I worried less about my powers escaping my control, I still had some major issues with personal space.

“Please forgive me, friend Raven,” the tawny alien said as she released me from her death hug. “It has been so long since we enjoyed the girl talk and I was overcome with joy. My I ask what we need to have the girl talk on?”

“It’s okay, Starfire,” I said, as I slowly checked to see that she had done no permanent damage to me. I was surrounded by the overwhelming pinkness of her room, and I gently walked to her bed. “Can you keep a secret? Just a small one for a few days?” I asked tentatively, smoothing the bedspread and sitting down.

“Of course I can, Raven,” she said, walking to over and sitting on the carpet in front of me. “What secret do you need me to keep?”

‘Here goes,’ I thought. “Starfire, I am going out with Beast Boy to a movie. On a date.”

“Wonderful! I am so happy for you!” Starfire squealed, and in her joy she floated off the ground. “When did he ask? Which movie are you going to? When are you going?” Her questions came quickly, barely giving herself time to breathe. As she asked, her pet grub Silky crawled across the bed and started nuzzling my hand.

I absently petted Silky as I replied, “He just asked me this afternoon when we got back from our meditation group. And he’s letting me pick the film and when we go, which is the problem.”

Starfire furrowed her brows briefly and said, “I do not see how this is a problem, friend Raven. You pick a time that you can both go together and a movie you will both like.”

I sighed softly. As usual, Starfire saw the nature of the situation, but didn’t quite grasp the subtleties that made it a problem for me. I wasn’t too surprised, as she was still adapting to our culture. “Starfire, I guess the time isn’t really a problem. It’s what film to go see.” I pulled the paper out from under my cloak and folded it open to the movie listings as I spoke. “The movies that are showing… I’m afraid that the ones I would like, Beast Boy will sleep or talk through. Here, take a look.” I handed the paper to Starfire and waited while she looked over the listings.

“What about Wicked Scary: The Sickening?” Starfire asked. “It has just come out and I know that friend Beast Boy liked the first one.”

I felt the blood drain out of my face at the mention of that film. It was the only thing I had ever found to be more terrifying than the prophecy I had been born with. “I don’t think I would like that movie, Starfire,” I said.

“Why not, Raven? We know that Beast Boy would like it, and while you might find it a little scary, I am certain that he would be happy to hold your hand. After all, is that not what you do on dates?”

I felt a little bit of color rush back to my cheeks at the mention of holding Beast Boy’s hand, but it was not enough to overcome my desire to avoid all things Wicked Scary. “I’ll keep that one in mind. What else do you see playing that he might like?”

Starfire furrowed her brows as she looked over the movies again. “Raven, I truthfully do not see anything else that I believe Beast Boy would remain attentive through. He has, as you say, a short attention span.”

“Thanks, Starfire,” I said as I leaned forward to take the paper back from her. Slipping it back under my cloak, I stood up to take my leave. “Please keep this between us. I’d rather tell Cyborg and Robin that I am going on a date with Beast Boy myself.”

My alien friend nodded at me and smiled as I slipped out of her room, thinking about another conversation I was not looking forward too.

* * *

‘I really don’t want to see another Wicked Scary movie,’ I thought as I slipped through the halls of Titan’s Tower looking for Beast Boy. Surprisingly, I had not found him in the rec-room or his bedroom. A brief glance in the training room produced the expected results – he wasn’t there. And I was now on my way to check the last two places he might be. The roof, and his stone skipping beach.

As I slipped through the door to the roof, I noted with moderate surprise that the moon was well and truly up. ‘Must have spent more time trying to pick a film than I thought.’

Gliding across the roof, I could tell that Beast Boy was not up here. But when I go to the far edge and looked over, I saw a small figure tossing rocks out across the water. ‘Beast Boy,’ I thought, as I watched the figure toss yet another rock out over the water, only to have it swallowed by the sea without skipping.

Rather than walking down through the Tower I decided to take a short-cut to him. I raised my hand and tore a small hole in the fabric of space, opening a portal between the roof and the shore. I stepped through it silently, letting it close behind me as I stood behind Beast Boy. Another rock was thrown, and swallowed by the water.

“Hello, Beast Boy,” I said.

“Gyah!” Beast Boy yelped as he jumped into the air and tried to turn around.

I fought down the small smile that was threatening to appear on my face. Scaring Beast Boy by sneaking up on him was one of the small pleasures I allowed myself.

“Dude, how the heck did you get there?! You scared me half to death!” Beast Boy demanded.

“I walked,” I replied, knowing it was a half-truth. True, I had walked through the portal, but I had barely taken a step since I appeared behind Beast Boy. “I just came down to let you know I had picked a movie and time.”

“Oh?”

Knowing that I would gain nothing by putting it off any longer, I told him, “Tomorrow night. The nine o’clock showing of Wicked Scary: The Sickening.”

For a moment, nothing happened. It was as though Beast Boy’s brain had finally given up its fight to work and popped into neutral. Just as I was about to ask if he was okay, he exploded with excitement. “Oh wow, Raven! That’s like the best movie choice ever!” he exclaimed, as he reached out and pulled me into a sudden, uncomfortable hug. Starfire had already used up a lot of my tolerance for personal space invasions when she crushed me earlier.

“Let. Me. Go,” I managed to say, my voice falling to the old monotone I resorted to when I was uncomfortable.

“Sorry, Rae. It’s just that I really want to see this Wicked Scary movie, and I don’t think even Terra would have been willing to go with me. This is just another reason I like you more,” Beast Boy blurted.

As Beast Boy spoke, I grew more uncomfortable. The events of the afternoon had built up badly for me. The terror I anticipated from watching the movie and the hugs from Beast Boy and Starfire had already ensured that I was going to be spending the evening meditating to calm my mind. But the comparison to Terra was the final straw, and something snapped in me. Even as I fought for some control, I felt the rage inside me grow. Fed by the little irritations I had throughout the day and an inexplicable wave of jealousy, I turned on Beast Boy.

“Don’t EVER compare me to Terra!” I snapped, as I felt the burning in my head that I knew meant my eyes had started to glow red. Reflexively I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head. “Our date is cancelled,” I said, fighting to regain some control over my feelings.

Afraid of what else I would say, or do, to Beast Boy, I opened a raven shaped hole to my room and let myself slip into it. As it closed, I heard a few soft words from Beast Boy.

“Please, Raven! I didn’t mean it like that.”


	3. Careless Words

“What the heck is her DEAL?!” I yelled as I hurled another rock out across the water under the Tower. As nearly always happened, the rock failed to skip and simply plunged under the water’s surface.

I had come down here to try and skip some rocks across the calm bay waters a few hours before Raven had come to tell me about her movie pick. I don’t know why I tried skipping stones. I had never quite gotten the hang of it and for every one that skipped another hundred or so would sink miserably to the bottom.

When Raven had come to tell me about which movie she had decided to go see I had been startled at how she always seemed to sneak up behind me. I am so used to hearing everything around me move, and yet Raven managed to sneak up on me most of the time. ‘Just another one of the things that intrigue me about her,’ I thought.

And then she had told me she wanted us to go see Wicked Scary: The Sickening which I have wanted to see since the day I knew they started casting for it. And I got really excited by the prospect. And I managed to shove my foot in my mouth by saying something about Terra. But I didn’t think Raven’s reaction was at all appropriate. And to top it all off, she had cancelled our date.

“Way to freaking go,” I said to myself as I threw another stone out over the water. “I managed to piss her off, get our date cancelled and she probably won’t want to go to meditation with me anymore. Why does she have to make it so hard?”

Grumpy, I looked up at the night sky. ‘It’s late. I should go to bed,’ I thought to myself. ‘I can try and figure out Raven’s deal tomorrow.’

* * *

“BZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzT!”

“BZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzT!”

“BZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzT!”

“Mrpph!” I grunted as I reached out to hit the annoyingly loud digital alarm next to my bed. I hated mornings and this was shaping up to be no exception. “Stupid alarm. Why did I set you anyway?”

As I asked the alarm a question I knew it couldn’t answer the events of the prior day came back to me. Tea with Raven. Asking her out. And her flying off the handle and canceling our date. “Ah dude,” I moaned. I didn’t know if I wanted to make a commitment to Raven or anything, but I did know I wanted to find out. And Raven had gotten all weird about it.

“I need to talk to Cyborg,” I mumbled to myself as I slipped out of bed. I transformed into a small green cat and stretched out the kinks from my body. Transforming back to my normal self, I walked to the bathroom, knowing that my chat with Cyborg could wait until after I showered and dressed.

* * *

‘Brilliant idea, waiting until after you showered to find Cyborg,’ I thought. ‘He’s out with Starfire trying to protect his precious Thanksgiving feast from her shopping when I need to talk with someone.’

I was wandering the halls of the Tower wondering what I should do now. I was somewhat surprised when I realized I was stopped in front of Robin’s door. ‘Well… Talking to Robin is better than talking to no-one. I just hope he’s not obsessing over where Slade got off to after the whole world ending thing.’

Before I could rethink what I was doing, I raised my hand and rapped on the door three quick times, each rap generating the annoying “PTing” the Tower doors make.

“Come in, Beast Boy,” Robin called from the other side of the door.

I pressed the button that allowed Robin’s door to slide open and asked, “Dude, how did you know it was me?” I walked into the room, noting that it was only slightly better lit than Raven’s. Robin was sitting at his desk, today’s newspaper laying flat with a pair of scissors resting on it.

The boy wonder smiled at me and started counting off points on his fingers, “One, Starfire and Cyborg are shopping for Thanksgiving. Two, Raven almost never knocks on my door, and when she does she always knocks four times. And three, she almost bit my head off this morning when I asked how her evening was. Something about wanting you, some honey and a fire ant hill all in the same place.” Robin smiled at me and ask, “So, what did you do to upset her this time?”

“Mind if I like close the door?” I asked even as I pressed the button. Once the door was closed I leaned back on it and said, “I don’t even know. I mean, I thought everything was fine and then she bit my head off last night.”

Robin looked at me and I had the distinct feeling that he was looking through me. I’ve seen this look from Robin far too often. Usually he gets it when he’s working on a puzzle. ‘I’m not going to be able to get out of here until he has the answer he wants,’ I thought, feeling more and more like a piece of prey. “Why don’t you tell me about what you and Raven did yesterday. Maybe I can help you figure out why she’s mad at you.”

“Okay, um…” I started to get my thoughts into some semblance of order. “Yesterday Raven and I went to our meditation group. Nothing surprising there.” Robin nodded at me. Once I finally asked Raven to join me, it hadn’t taken long for the entire team to know that we were going to a meditation group and then tea after. 

“Then,” I continued, “we went for tea and a soda… We, um, talked about Thanksgiving some, and what Starfire was likely to cook. Please tell me you made her promise not to make any puddings!”

Robin chuckled slightly. “I told her that pudding was not a traditional part of Thanksgiving. And she is trying very hard to follow our traditions. I think we’re safe from her pudding this year. What else did you and Raven do yesterday?”

“Um,” I could feel the blood going to my face as I spoke, “I kinda asked her to a movie. As a date.”

Robin blinked at me. “You finally asked Raven out? Congratulations!” 

“Yea I did. Wait! What do you mean, finally?” I protested. Then, smiling to myself I decided to take the offensive. “It didn’t take me as long to ask Raven as it took you to ask Star.”

“So, um, what did you ask her out to do?” Robin asked, sidestepping the subject of his long-term feelings for Starfire. And his long avoidance of the obvious attraction they had to one another.

“That’s that thing, Robin,” I said. “I know that Rae is still working out some emotional issues. Like how to express them, now that Trigon was beaten. So I let her pick the movie and time. Then last night she came and told me what we were going to see, and I told her that was great and then she snapped at me and cancelled it.”

“Three questions, BB,” Robin said. “What movie did she pick, how did you tell her it was a great pick, and when exactly did she snap at you?”

“Well,” I said, “she found me on the beach and told me that she had picked Wicked Scary: The Sickening, which I have only wanted to see for like a year and a half. And then I was hugging her and telling her how much I wanted to see it. And she got all ‘don’t touch me’ and I apologized and told her that I was excited because not even Terra would have been willing to go see it with me. And then she bit my head off, cancelled our date and told me to never compare her to Terra.”

Robin raised his brows as I finished my tale. “And you’re upset with her for blowing up at you,” Robin ventured. “And you don’t know why she is that way and you with she was different.”

“Well, yea, Robin. I mean I didn’t do anything!”

“BB, when was the last time anyone mentioned Terra?” Robin asked.

I paused for a moment and started to really think about it. To be honest, I hadn’t even visited Terra since before the world ended. And after we had packed up her room, none of us had mentioned her. While that wound was healing, it could still be painful. “I don’t know, Robin. It’s been a long while.”

“I’m not saying that Raven was right to snap at you, Beast Boy. But Raven did have issues with Terra. And the first time she gets mentioned since we defeated Raven’s father is by you, while talking with Raven about going out together.” Robin paused for a minute before continuing, “I don’t know of many situations where two people get in an argument and one of them had no responsibility. Even if Raven is 90% responsible, that leaves you with 10%.”

I stood there, trying to get my head around what I was hearing. “You’re saying that even if Raven went off on one of her moody yelling fits and is mostly to blame, I still did something wrong?”

Robin smiled at me, “I’m quite ‘wrong’. But it does take two people to have a misunderstanding. If I were you, I’d think about what I said and see if I needed to make amends. See if you did do something wrong, and then make up for it.”

“Um, thanks, Robin,” I said. “I guess I have some things to go think about.”

As I opened the door, Robin spoke again, “Good luck, BB.”

* * *

I wandered back to my room after talking to Robin, thinking about what he had said. While it was true that I hadn’t meant to hurt Raven, it was obvious that I had. ‘If I tossed some clothes on a space heater and burned the Tower down,’ I thought, ‘I wouldn’t have meant to do any harm, but I still would have. And if I burnt the Tower down, I would still say that I was sorry to the others.’

I let myself into my room, knowing that I was going to have to do something for Raven to make up for my careless words.


	4. Meep! Thwomp!

“Azarath.”

“Metrion.”

“Zinthos.”

“Azarath.”

“Metrion.”

“Zinthos.”

I was in my room trying to meditate and ease the hurt I was feeling inside. And failing.

I hadn’t slept much last night, unpleasant dreams breaking my rest. Finally I had given up around three in the morning and had begun to try and meditate. Which was turning out to be a spectacular failure.

Every time I started to clear my mind and relax, Beast Boy’s careless words drifted through my head and triggered a wave of mixed emotions. Hatred of the things Terra did to us. Sorrow that she lost her life even as she tried to redeem herself. Anger and jealousy over the fact that she had spent a few precious moments with Beast Boy before my friendship with him could fully bloom. Guilt that I had snapped at Beast Boy. All these negative feelings, combined with the happiness I had felt over being asked out by Beast Boy, were resulting in a toxic mixture that left me feeling restless, irritable and discontent.

“Why am I even trying?” I asked myself in a soft voice. “I thought I wanted to go out with him, then he brings up Terra, and now I don’t want to see him. Why does it have to be so damned difficult?”

I looked at the clock again and was surprised to see that nearly half past three in the afternoon. For the past few hours it seemed as though time was moving painfully slowly. I hadn’t come out of my room yet, and was afraid that when I did I would run across Beast Boy. And I had no idea what I would do if I when I next saw him. Or even if I wanted to see him again.

“This isn’t getting me anywhere,” I muttered to myself. Tired of floating cross-legged and failing to meditate, I lowered myself to the ground. I uncrossed my legs and stretched, only to discover that I had allowed my right leg to go to sleep. 

Knowing that sitting there until blood flow returned would only be worse than getting up and moving around, I leaned to my left and grabbed the edge of my bed. I pulled myself up onto my left foot, keeping my right leg mostly straight. Very gently, I put my right foot down and tried to stand on it. My efforts were answered by the searing needles of discomfort that come with the restoration of blood flow.

I squeezed my eyes shut and let myself feel the sensations coming from my leg. Before long the pain was replaced by a sense of numb fuzziness in my foot. It felt as though it was much bigger than it really was, and was reluctant to go where I asked it to.

‘Just a few minutes here and then I can go to the kitchen…‘ My thoughts were interrupted by knocking on my door. 

Three deep, evenly spaced “Thwumps” were followed by Beast Boy’s voice. “Raven, can I come in and talk to you?”

“No!” I called out, my voice an icy monotone. “Now is not a good time.”

As I spoke I realized that I had left the door unlocked. Without thinking, I started towards it to throw the deadbolt before Beast Boy could open it. Which seemed to be a good idea until I took my first step.

As my weight shifted over my right foot, the numbness betrayed me. My leg collapsed and pitched me unceremoniously to the floor. Caught off guard, I made a quiet, surprised, “meep,” as I fell. I was unable to get my arms in front of me to break my fall effectively and used my face instead, hitting the ground with a heavy “thwomp”.

“Raven?! Are you okay in there?” Beast Boy called through the door, worry obvious in his voice.

The pain in my face was far worse than the discomfort I had felt from my sleeping leg. Even before I felt the hot, sticky fluid pouring down my face, I knew I had hit my nose fairly hard. I touched my face with my right hand and winced, both at the amount of blood I felt and how badly my nose hurt.

“Raven!” Beast Boy yelled out again from the other side of the door. “What’s going on? Answer or I am coming in.”

I pushed myself onto my hands and knees, fascinated by the amount of blood running from my nose. Drips were falling steadily from the tip of my nose, and more was running down my face and dripping from my chin. Gingerly, I eased myself back onto my knees. Closing my eyes against the inevitable pain, I placed my right hand to my nose to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. “mMargh!” I cried out as quietly as I could as I felt hat stabbing lances of pain run through my nose.

“That’s it, Raven. I’m coming in,” Beast boy said.

Even as my door started to slide open, I managed to call out, “No, wait, Beast Boy!” But it was too late.

Beast Boy stood in my doorway, his lean figure silhouetted by the hallway lights. “Raven, are you…” he started. His brows furrowed and I could tell that as bad as my nose felt, I must have looked worse to Beast Boy’s eyes. “What happened? Come on, we’re getting you to the medical bay.” Beast Boy came towards me and knelt down next to me, his eyes wide. “We’ll get you fixed right up.”

“No, I’ll be fine, Beast Boy,” I protested as he guided my left arm over his shoulders.

“Yea, and I won’t yell at the GameStation. Come on,” he said as he placed his right arm around my waist and helped me back to my feet.

* * *

I was alone, sitting on one of the white sheeted beds in our white walled, white floored and white ceilinged medical room. I still don’t understand why we made that room so damned white. 

Beast Boy had called Cyborg on our way there, and Cyborg had come to see how badly my nose was injured. After he had carefully cleaned up most of the drying blood from my nose and face, he had taken a few x-rays.

A few minutes ago, my cybernetic friend had come back to let me know that I hadn’t managed to completely break my nose. I had just fractured it. “Nothing to worry about, Raven,” Cyborg had said. “The swelling will go down in a week or so.” After delivering that stunning bit of “good” news, he had excused himself and slipped back to whatever he had been doing.

“Hey, um, Raven,” I heard Beast Boy say as he entered the medical bay again. He had scuttled off quickly once Cyborg had arrived to take over, muttering about “blood” and “queasy”. “Cyborg told me that it’s just a fracture.”

I looked Beast Boy over as he spoke. “What did you want when you came to my room, Beast Boy?” I asked.

He laughed nervously and started to drag a chair over. “Mind if I sit?” he asked.

I nodded curtly at him, unsure of what to say.

“Look, Raven,” Beast Boy began, “I know that I can be a pain in the butt sometimes. And I know that I open my mouth without thinking about what I am going to say a lot.” Beast Boy paused to take a deep breath. “Last night I opened my mouth without thinking, and, well, I compared you to Terra.”

I started to open my mouth to tell him that he was perfectly welcome to leave the medical bay anytime he wanted – the sooner the better – so I could let my face continue swelling, when Beast Boy held up a hand. “Hear me out, Raven,” he said. “I was coming to tell you that I was wrong to compare you to Terra. I know that the two of you did not always see things the same way, and I know that she hurt you the same as she hurt the rest of us.”

Beast Boy looked up from the floor and his eyes captured mine. “Raven, I can’t go back and undo or unsay things. But I can try to be more careful about what I say in the future. I give you my word that I will do the very best I can to not compare you to Terra.”

Unable to quit looking into the deep pools of Beast Boy’s eyes, I said the only thing I could. “Can you go? I need some time alone.”

Beast Boy blinked once before he stood up, pushed the chair back against the wall and walked slowly out of the medical suite.

* * *

Back in my room, my thoughts and feelings were even more jumbled than they had been earlier in the day. I still wanted to be mad at Beast Boy for comparing me to Terra but for his care for me when I had fallen, and the… Apology? No. He hadn’t asked for forgiveness. He had simply owned his part in our argument the night before and told me that he would try not to do it again. This was perhaps the most mature thing I had ever witnessed from Beast Boy.

“I have to get to the bottom of this confusion,” I muttered.

Knowing that I needed a more direct answer than I would get through my usual meditation, I dimmed the lights in my room until I could barely see. Carefully I walked to the dresser and picked up my mirror before returning to the relative comfort of my bed.

‘I hope this is a good idea.’


	5. I Know What I Have to Do

Sitting on the bed in her darkened room, Raven looked into her hand-mirror. She let her eyes drift across her reflected features, frowning slightly she saw the dark bruises forming under her eyes and the swelling around her nose. As her gaze drifted down her face and across her lips, Raven’s eyes began to slowly close. When Raven’s gaze wandered to the delicate point of her chin, her eyelids finished their slow decent.

* * *

When Raven next opened her eyes, she saw not the dark blues and purples of her bedroom but a barren, rocky landscape. She was standing in the middle of a path that seemed to follow a series of gray asteroids, looping impossibly through a dark, starlit sky. More of the gray asteroids drifted seemingly at random through the sky. Raven looked around for a moment, as though seeking out a familiar landmark. After a moment, the purple-haired half-demon set off down the path.

As Raven walked several large, black birds followed her. Flying a few paces ahead of her they would stop and perch on an outcrop of gray rock or the limbs of one of the occasional barren trees along the path. There, they would watch as the young woman walked past them, following her progress with four glowing red eyes. Once she was thirty or forty feet past them, they would repeat their short flight to a new perch.

After an indeterminate time walking, Raven found herself at a stone archway. She paused in front of it, and bit her lower lip. It was a nervous habit that she seldom indulged in and would deny if any of her friends commented on it. As she looked through the archway, the scenery seemed to be the same on the other side as the side she stood on. Shaking her head, she muttered, “May as well get on with it.”

When Raven resumed walking to the stone gate, the black birds squawked and took to the sky, circling out of sight.

As Raven stepped through the archway the sky changed. The starscape winked out of existence to be replaced by a cheerful yellow sky spotted by fluffy pink clouds. As far as the eye could see, the rocky gray ground was replaced by rolling hills covered by pink and yellow wildflowers. Tall evergreens dotted the landscape.

“Oof!” Raven cried out as she was tackled from behind and knocked to the ground. Raven was entangled with another girl who looked remarkably similar to herself, but for the fact that she wore a pink cloak and boots. “Get off me,” she growled at her attacker.

“Heya, Rae! How are you? Like the ambush hug?” Happy fired off her questions rapidly, before dropping her voice to a conspirational whisper, “Brave has been teaching me how to sneak up on people so I can hug them.”

“Get. Off,” Raven grumbled again, pushing Happy away. Free of the pink cloaked emotions grasp, Raven stood and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She failed to notice that a pink flower had broken from its stem and lodged in her hair above her left ear. Happy rose as well, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

“C’mon, Rae! Don’t be so grumpy. Ooh, didja get in a fight?” Happy pointed at Raven’s bruised and swollen face. “Looks like they did a number on your nose. Good thing your booboos don’t show up on me,” Happy stated gleefully.

“I fell,” Raven told the disturbingly pink emotion. “I need you to find the others and have them meet me in Knowledge’s library. We need to talk.”

Happy grinned from ear to ear. “I can do that,” she said. Happy raised her arms to her sides and ran off across the landscape, making sputtering airplane noises as she went.

‘That emotion will be the death of me,’ Raven thought to herself. Once again she began walking down the trail through her mind, passing over the rolling hills of Happy’s domain. ‘I really need to figure out why my feelings are so… Confused.’

* * *

Some time later, Raven again found herself in front of one of the stone archways that separated the realms of her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply and deliberately. After a few moments, the dark witch opened her eyes and stepped through the portal.

This time the cheerful yellows and pinks of the hills were replaced by walls painted a very pale shade of lilac, and rows upon rows of yellow bookshelves. Raven looked at the sign that was posted on the end of the nearest shelving unit to confirm her location. She then began walking down the aisles, the smell of the thousands of old books persistent in her nostrils. 

Before long she came to an open space among the shelves. Near the center of the open area sat a circle of nine chairs. All of them were occupied save for one. Raven walked to that empty chair and sat down in it, looking around her at the gathered host. 

To Raven’s left Wisdom was sitting like a mountain, eyes closed and adorned in her simple brown cloak. Next was Brave, her green hood pulled down over here eyes, her attention directed across the circle at another one of the emotions. To Brave’s left sat Rude, her orange cloak stained by what appeared to be catsup and peanut butter, her legs spread widely in front of her as she rocked back in the chair. Timid sat in her chair, feet drawn up in front of her with her arms wrapped around her legs and her grey cloak acting as a shield to hide herself from the others. Fidgeting in the next chair, Happy was playing with a pair of dolls, one purple and blue and black, the other green. Anger, the object of Brave’s attentive gaze sat grumpily in the next chair, red hood up and a frown on her face. Affection was sitting up in her chair, purple cloak thrown back and rather large scrapbook open on her lap. And last sat Knowledge wearing a yellow cloak and heavy-rimmed glasses, a book propped open in her lap.

As Raven finished looking around the circle, she sighed. “I’m glad you could all come. I need some answers from you,” Raven stated.

As Raven spoke, each of the emotions directed their attention to her. Happy quickly slipped the dolls she had been playing with under her cloak. Affection and Knowledge both closed their books, while Wisdom opened her eyes and turned to face Raven. Rude scratched herself. “Took you long enough to get here,” the orange clad emotion said.

Raven fought the urge to roll her eyes at Rude, slightly amused by the irony of wanting to roll her eyes at an aspect of herself. Instead, Raven allowed herself to indulge in another small sigh before speaking again, “Ever since Beast Boy asked me out, some of you have been acting out. I want to know what is going on in here so I can actually do something. I am tired of this bunch of mixed up feelings about Beast Boy and that comment he made about Terra and –“

Raven was cut off by a low growl coming from Anger. “That damn bleach-blonde trollop! I wish you had let me destroy her when we had the chance.”

“B-but if we did that, Beast Boy would hate us more than he does now,” Timid managed to say, retreating as far back in her chair as she could when Anger turned to look at her.

“Beast Boy does not hate us, Timid,” Affection said warmly, hoping that her words would calm the gray emotion.

“Yea,” said Happy, agreeing with Affection. “If he did, BB wouldn’t keep asking us to play those games and go meditate and stuff with him. People who hate us don’t ask us to go see movies with them.”

“I hate his stupid video games,” Anger muttered.

“Well I happen to like them,” Brave countered, staring at Anger.

“Me too,” quipped Happy. “They’re lots of fun.”

“And Beast Boy likes them,” added Affection.

Anger turned her stare on Affection and growled, “So did Terra.”

“Enough!” Raven yelled, rising to her feet. “This is just what I’m talking about! You’re all out of control.” She closed her eyes for a moment, counting backwards from twenty while she relaxed. “In turn, I need to know why you are all acting up. You first,” Raven pointed at Knowledge.

Knowledge blinked once behind her heavy glasses while looking up at Raven. “You know as well as I do that I am not the cause of your current emotional troubles. Raven, you have an adequate grasp of the events that have led to your present circumstances.”

Raven simply nodded at Knowledge before turning to Affection. “What is your issue, Affection?”

The purple-clad emotion looked at Raven and smiled happily. “Raven, Beast Boy finally asked you out. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for that?” Affection opened her scrapbook again and started flipping through it. “Ah, here it is…” She turned the book around to show a picture of Raven talking to Beast Boy on the shore of the island under the tower late in the evening. “Ever since Beast Boy saved us from Adonis. And then when he asked us to go meditate with him? I was hoping that he was asking for something more, but…” Affection then flipped back in her scrapbook to show several pages of photos, apparently taken of Beast Boy and Raven talking at various coffee shops after their meditation sessions. “I still got lots of good memories about him out of that.”

Raven looked at Affection and asked, “Is that scrapbook just about Beast Boy?”

“Well,” the emotion replied, “this is just one volume of it. I left the other dozen or so at home.”

“Right…” Raven turned to Anger. “And you?”

Anger growled at Raven. “I should smite that stupid, green changeling for comparing us to that blonde tart. He makes us pick a movie and then he has the chutzpah to tell us that Terra,” Anger spat the name out, “wouldn’t have gone. But SHE won’t let me,” Anger pointed at Affection and pouted.

“Yea, but he asked us out!” Happy burst in. “I mean, he’s fun and I like doing things with him and he asked us to do more things with him.”

Raven looked at Happy and said, “I take it that is why you are acting up. Timid?” Raven turned her attention to the grey cloaked emotion, not letting Happy get started on what was bound to be a long, bubbly description of just how much fun Beast Boy really was.

Timid peeked up over her knees and looked at Raven. “H-he’s mad at us. I just know it. We yelled at him and then ran off and he’s never going to talk to us again.” Having said all that she could, Timid dropped her head back below her knees and cowered.

There was a brief pause, during which Raven turned to face Rude. Rude took the opportunity to belch loudly.

“Okay then… Brave?” Raven asked.

Brave looked at Raven and simply said, “We should do it. We could kick Terra’s butt any day of the week. Why should we let her have a better date-“

“You mean more dates. Like any,” Rude interrupted.

Looking challengingly at Rude, Brave continued, “let Terra have a better date with Beast Boy than we can? Just one more area where we can wipe the floor with her.”

Raven turned to look at Wisdom, then sighed, not expecting the usually cryptic emotion to give her a direct answer. As a result, Raven’s mouth fell open as Wisdom spoke. “Raven, you want to go out with him. You’re mad that he mentioned Terra. And you are confused by the amends he has offered.”

Once again, Raven bit her lower lip as she thought on Wisdom’s words. “What amends, Wisdom? I don’t remember him saying anything about being sorry.”

“Amends are not about saying ‘I’m sorry’, Raven,” Knowledge said behind Raven. “Amends are about change for the better.”

Wisdom spoke again, “Anyone can say ‘Sorry’. How many people will actually try to make an effort to behave differently the next time?”

Raven closed her eyes and spoke. “I know what I have to do.”

* * *

In the dimly lit room, a purple-haired sorceress opened her eyes. She eased herself off the bed, took a moment to smooth the sheets, then left her room, clearly looking for someone.


	6. Until the End of the World

“Well, today has just been fantastic,” I told the wall down in the basement. To say that I was confused and frustrated wouldn’t be doing my current emotional state any justice. Toss in a good helping of anxiety and you would be getting closer. I had no idea how Raven would take my effort at amends.

I was down in the basement because I needed a good, solid wall for the juggling I was doing. I had five racquetballs out and was tossing them from my right hand so that they would hit the floor a few feet in front of me before bouncing up and striking the wall. When they came back to me I would catch them in my left and send them back on a similar flight plan. Hand, floor, wall, catch. Repeat. Following the five balls through their paces kept my mind busy and clear, almost like meditation or playing videogames.

I was pretty sure that I could get another ball or two into the pattern if I had someone else to toss it in for me. As it was, every time I tried to grab a sixth ball I would be just barely too slow and drop one of the balls already in their pattern. And I wasn’t about to ask for help from one of the other Titans. Cyborg would just laugh. Star would probably throw the ball so hard it would pop when it hit the ground. Robin… Well, I had the distinct feeling that Robin didn’t much care for circuses or circus acts. And while Raven was the most likely person I would invite to help, right now it didn’t seem like such a good idea.

After talking to Robin about the other night I had a pretty clear understanding that Raven really didn’t want to be compared to Terra. Ever. And the worst part was that the more I thought about it the more I had to agree with Robin. Then when I go to talk to Raven about it, she managed to somehow break her nose.

I shuddered as the image of Raven looking up at me from the floor of her room, her face covered in blood entered my mind, unbidden. At that moment I had felt something well up in me that would not go quietly into the night. Raven had been hurt and I needed to help her. The Beast had roared up from within me, wanting to protect the one thing it cared about in this world. The one thing I cared about.

When I had gone to talk to her later, I had simply stated the facts as I saw them. I was wrong to compare her to Terra. And I was going to do my darndest to not do it again. I really couldn’t see how saying, “Sorry,” was going to fix the mess I had created. And she had asked me to just go away.

So I had come down here. I was pretty sure the others didn’t know I juggled, and I was almost positive that they wouldn’t come here looking for me. I had a habit of going on about how the basement was even creepier than Raven’s room and avoiding going there when asked. Just so I had a place to come and juggle in relative privacy. I wasn’t really sure how long I had been here. After juggling for a while, time really ceases to mean anything.

“Squeee,” I heard the door protest as it was opened above me. ‘Nuts. Not enough time to hide the evidence,’ I thought, so I just kept on juggling, balls moving so fast that they were a blue blur. ‘No cheery inquiry if I’m down here, so not Starfire. Footsteps are too light to be Cy.’ I sniffed the air, expecting the musky, slightly sweaty odor of Robin. Instead my nose caught the faint scent of apples and vanilla.

I waited as patiently as I could while the person above me walked down the metal stairs, feet barely making a sound. When I knew that she was finally down on the floor and not more than two paces behind me, I greeted her. “Hey, Raven.”

“Beast Boy,” she said, the usual edge on her voice wasn’t present and I was slightly surprised.

“Can I help you?” I asked, hope and fear mixing together, the soft “Thwap. Thwap. Thwap,” of the balls filling the empty spaces between us.

“I’ve, um, been thinking about what you said, Beast Boy.” Raven’s tone was calm and measured. I took a deep breathe, letting her sweet smell run through my nostrils, the unmistakable scent of anxiety coming from her as well. “Beast Boy? Can you stop that for a minute? What I have to say, I’d like to say to your face.”

I smiled a little with my back to her. “Sure,” I said and as the balls came to me, I directed them upwards, until all five were cascading in front of me. Still juggling I turned around to face Raven, grinning from ear to ear. “How’s this?”

Raven gave me a glare that should have caused me to burst into flames on the spot. Instead, I let the balls fall into my hands, two in the left, two in the right. The fifth ball I caught by bringing my hands together and letting it fall on top of its cousins. I then set the pyramid of balls down on a wooden crate so I could give my full attention to Raven.

“That’s better,” she said simply.

“So, you wanted to say something, Rae?” I could tell that she was uncomfortable about coming to talk to me, but I figured I would see if she was paying attention. Her hood was down, and I was slightly surprised at the bruising and swelling around her nose and under her eyes.

“Don’t call me ‘Rae’, Beast Boy. My name is Raven.”

I smiled a little. Whatever she needed to say didn’t have her forgetting to stop me from calling her by a nickname. “Okay, Raven. I’m all ears,” I said, pointing to my larger than average, pointier than most, ears. I smiled a little when I saw her close her eyes, obviously counting backwards in her head. ‘I really shouldn’t be teasing her,’ I thought, ‘Time to shut up for a few minutes.’ I closed my mouth and waited for Raven. I have always bad a habit of teasing and joking to avoid the touchy-feely stuff

Raven had apparently calmed herself down enough that she was willing to try talking to me again. “Beast Boy, I’ve been thinking about the last day or so. I know that you just blurted out what was in your head last night. It’s one of the things I like about.” She raised a finger and motioning me to be quiet. “It’s also one of the things that make it damned hard to like you all the time.”

Raven closed her beautiful amethyst eyes as she continued, “The truth is, I really do like you. A lot. You’ve grown up some – and so have I – these last few months. I want to get to know you better than I have during our post-meditation chats. I’ve been hoping that you would ask me out for a while now. But when you mentioned… Her.”

‘Holy heck,’ I thought. ‘I didn’t know… To think that she’s wanted me to ask her out…’

“I still have issues with Terra,” Raven intoned. “She hurt us a lot. She hurt me a lot.” Raven’s voice dropped to the barest whisper and if it hadn’t been for my over-developed hearing, I would have missed her words, “She hurt you.”

I smiled a little, knowing what Raven was trying to do. And knowing that it wasn’t going to come easy for her. So I decided to try and spare her some of it. “Apology accepted, Raven.”

Raven looked at me, her amethyst eyes piercing through me. “How did you know I was coming to apologize?”

“Well,” I said. “When you do it as often as I do, you kinda recognize it. And,” I smiled at her, “you don’t seem to have a lot of practice.”

Raven glowered at me for a few moments before the barest hint of a smile appeared on her face. “No, I guess I don’t have a lot of practice apologizing. Not like a certain green fool that lives with his foot in his mouth.”

“Hey, now…” I grinned at Raven, happy that she was talking to me again. “Look, Raven, you’re my friend.” I reached out and held her left hand in my right. She didn’t try to pull back, but instead wrapped her fingers gently, almost timidly over mine. “Always have been, and I hope you always will be. Until the end of the world.”

As I spoke, I was mildly shocked when Raven reached out for my other hand. There we were, not more than a foot apart in the dim of the basement, setting right a misunderstanding. Without Raven resorting to tossing me out of a window. “Beast Boy, incase you forgot, the world has already ended,” she said.

“Huh? Oh, yea, with your father and all,” I said, confused for a moment by her words. I was drawn into her eyes as we stood there. The tiny reflection of myself above pools of amethyst, suspended over the richest of blacks. More mesmerizing than even the most impressive of video games or sunsets, I thought I could fall into those eyes for days.

“So,” Raven started, momentarily biting her bottom lip, “Do you still want to go to the movie?” 

Raven was moving closer to me and I leaned forward to close the distance, knowing, at that moment, I wanted to kiss her. My nose rubbed gently against hers…

Raven cried out, “Ouch!” suddenly pulling back from me, her hands dropping mine and leaping to her face to protect her tender nose.

“Oh heck, Rae, I forgot about your nose.” I was blushing furiously, hoping that in her pain Raven didn’t notice that I was doing my best to impersonate a Christmas decoration. The moment was lost, and I was looking for a way to make it better. Fortunately, Raven saved me from myself.

“It’s okay, Beast Boy. I forgot about it too,” she said from behind her hands. Slowly she lowered them and looked at me again.

“So, um, why haven’t you healed your nose? You know, with the blue glowie hands and all,” I asked.

“It doesn’t work that way, Beast Boy,” Raven told me. “I can heal others with ‘the blue glowie hands’, but not myself. My own injuries have to heal the old fashioned way, or if I get hurt badly enough I can go into a healing trance.” Raven sighed before continuing, “Apparently this isn’t bad enough.”

“Oh. Um. Well that sucks,” I said, not feeling like an intellectual giant.

“Yes it does,” Raven said. “Can I take a rain check on the kiss?”

I felt myself smiling from ear to ear when Raven implied that I could kiss her later – after her nose healed. “Of course you can, Raven. You want to postpone the whole movie thing too? Just until your nose heals?” Inside my chest my heart was about to burst from a mixture of joy, anticipation and anxiety about what was happening.

Another small smile crept onto Raven’s face. “No. This Friday, Wicked Scary: The Sickening. Just you and me.”

If it was possible, my smile grew even bigger.

“Come on. Let’s go see if Starfire has everything for tomorrow’s ‘Giving of the Thanks’,” Raven said.

I followed her up the stairs, happier than I had been in a long time.


	7. Epilogue

It was a cool, overcast day in Jump City. In fact, it was the fourth Thursday in November and throughout the city, families and friends were gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. And for one group of people who lived on an island, in a tower shaped like a T, it was no exception.

As was tradition for this group of friends, Cyborg has started the holiday by cooking a large batch of cinnamon rolls to entice the others out of their slumber. One by one the others came out. 

The first to arrive was a Raven, her skin pale as she squinted in the morning sunlight that came through the windows of their kitchen. She was followed shortly by a Robin, his mask firmly in place. Next, floating several inches off the ground, came Starfire. Last out was a disheveled Beast Boy, looking as though he had been woken several hours too early.

The day was spent in the usual manner of such holidays. After breakfast the boys crowded together on the couch and watched football games. Raven retreated to a corner to read a book, occasionally tucking her hair behind her ears and out of the way. And the tawny Starfire floated to and fro, making certain that the boys had snacks and drinks, and the purple-haired girl had fresh tea.

Come mid-afternoon the games were over, and the five teens converged in the kitchen to cook their meal. Cyborg took on the task of preparing the turkey. Beast Boy worked on a Tofurkey™ for those himself and any others who might not wish to eat something they could turn into. Starfire and the overly brightly dressed Robin worked together to prepare the mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, green beans and “pie of the pumpkin”. As usual, Raven stood back, acting as referee when needed. After a time, she took the risk of leaving the kitchen in the care of her friends and set their table.

As the food was readied, it was carried out to the dining table. Before long they were ready to sit. Robin sat at the head of the table. To his left sat Starfire, then Cyborg. To his right Beast Boy pulled out a chair for Raven before seating himself. Once they were both seated, the green boy’s hand found a pale-skinned hand and squeezed.

“Raven,” Robin asked, “would you say the prayer?”

The purple-haired girl looked up suddenly, a blush coming to her face. “I would be happy to.”

She and the rest of the Titans closed their eyes and looked down.

“Thank you this day for providing us all the things we need,  
The meal we are about to enjoy,  
The companionship we share,   
And the friendships we have.  
Thank you for the adventures we have shared,  
The joy and wonder of new discoveries,  
And that we never have to do it alone.  
Amen.”

The Titans around her all echoed the, “Amen,” and looked up. 

As they each moved their napkins off their plates and reached for the dish closest to them, Robin attempted to prevent a repeat of the previous year’s chaos. “Titans, we’re passing to the left.”

* * *

Several hours later, Raven was sitting on the edge of the roof, watching the sun set. The leftovers had been put away with loving care by Cyborg, before he joined Robin for a drowsy game of Mega Monkey Racing on the GameStation. Starfire had gone to bed early, a victim of turkey overindulgence and the sleepiness it brings. Before long, Beast Boy had also slipped off, and Raven had assumed that Tofurkey™ may have a similar effect as real turkey. As such, she was slightly surprised when Beast Boy walked out onto the roof with her.

“Hey, Raven,” he said as he walked over to join her at the edge of the building.

“Beast Boy,” she said.

“Whatcha doin’ up here?”

“Just thinking,” Raven said, the barest hint of a smile creeping onto her face. “Thinking about the things that I am the most thankful for.”

“Oh?” Beast Boy asked as he sat down next to her, not touching, but not quite outside Raven’s usual personal space. He looked at her and grinned.

“Yea. Thinking about the fact that I am really grateful we’ve spent more time together this year,” Raven said.

The two friends sat quietly on the roof as the sun set, neither one of them talking, just enjoying each other’s company.


End file.
